Natural resources are materials or minerals that exist in Nature without human intervention or exertion and that can be utilized by humanity for economic advantage or even other uses. These chemicals are abundant in nature. Moreover, natural resources can be classified as either sustainable or non-renewable. Whereas natural renewable sources are ones that can be replenished naturally even after continuous human use of such sources. Oxygen, water, lumber, solar, and wind are all examples of renewable resources. In essence, renewable resources do not face the danger of resource scarcity, which is a primary risk connected with some other natural resources.
Non-renewable sources are natural resources that can be replenished in a single generation. Natural resources in this category, quite often, take eons for the Earth to rejuvenate them. Non-renewable mineral wealth includes carbon fuels, iron ore, water (sometimes), and numerous Earth elements. Because the availability of this resource is limited, this category of natural resources cannot be depended on for consistent economic advantage. Some major examples of natural resources are provided below:
What is considered to be a natural resource?
1. Earth
Earth is among the most plentiful and vital natural resources on the planet. It is needed both intrinsically and extrinsically in the availability of crops, the manufacture of raw material, and the generation of renewable resources. It is necessary for habitats to function by delivering nutrition, oxygen, moisture, and warmth. Poor farming methods and contaminants frequently degrade soil resources. The protection of this precious natural resource from structural devastation and contamination is a critical problem for present and future generations.
2. Trees
Many flora and fauna find refuge in trees. Trees help to reduce atmospheric temperature and relative humidity. They can also have an effect on wind speed. Plants also aid in the reduction of flooding and soil degradation. Trees are the most important source of life and clean air. Trees give shading, shelter, food, timber, and a variety of other benefits. Timber is a valuable natural renewable commodity in many communities across the world. When addressed responsibly, manufacturing can be both ecological and cheap. That is if wood extraction is done in such a manner that destruction is avoided.
3. Oil
Oil is created by the degradation of natural waste matter from plants and animals that perished thousands of years ago. Many countries rely on oil as their primary source of energy to meet their basic energy requirements. It is used in the manufacture of fuel, gas, petroleum, aviation fuel, and several more products. It is in short supply and will run out one day.
4. Natural Minerals
- Helium
Since helium is considered non-reactive, it is utilized to provide a protected passive environment in the production of fiber optics and transistors. Helium is used to identify air-conditioning system leakage. Since it is non-toxic and rapidly disperses, it is often used to deploy airbags in cars. Aside from tourism and entertainment, helium is extremely valuable in a variety of other industries. Helium is critical as a cooling agent for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), satellite instrumentation, super magnets in Mri machines, and NMR spectrometers.
Despite being among the most plentiful elements in the universe, helium is regarded as a non-renewable commodity. The majority of Earth’s helium is generated when unexpected accidents happen inside the Earth’s crust. As a result, the gas is extremely uncommon. Extraction of helium from the atmosphere is extremely inefficient, producing less than 0.00052 percent in air.
- Copper
Copper has been in use for millennia. It was among the very first metals utilized by humans. It is one of the few metals that can be found in nature. A substantial amount of copper is being used in the production of electrical cables, industrial equipment, and building and plumbing materials. Copper is also utilized as a pesticide in farming and as a dietary supplement in the medical field. The United States of America is the world’s leading producer of copper, which is extracted from copper ores and recycled.
- Iron
Iron is found everywhere and it is the most frequently employed metal on the planet. Iron is a conductive material, as well as being robust and abundant, accounting up around 5% of the Earth’s crust. This is why it is utilized to make steel, electrical cable and tube pipes, latches, utensils, doorknobs, ovens, couch structures, saucepans, etc. Brazil, Australia, and South Africa are significant sources of iron on the planet.
- Bauxite
Bauxite develops as stones in topsoil with very few soluble elements in moist tropical regions. It is the primary component of aluminum metal. Bauxite is the source of nearly all aluminum ever produced. Bauxite is also utilized in hydraulic fracking, a procedure used in oil and gas exploration.
5. Water
Water is among the greatest critical natural resources for the survival of life. While freshwater is sometimes regarded as a renewable resource, the majority of it originates from groundwater that is depleting quicker than it can be replaced. While water may appear to be the most plentiful of all commodities, it is in fact rather rare in some parts of the globe and is quickly contaminated by processes including deforestation, urban expansion, contamination, and global warming.
6. Coal
Coal has been utilized as a form of thermal energy for many years; nowadays, it is the dominant source of energy heat generation and current due to the high energy production and relative cost when compared to traditional options. This commodity is a fossil fuel produced through the technique of ‘coalification.’ Plants that grow in swampy areas millions of years ago perished and generated sheets of peat that have been covered by geological activity that progressively transformed to coal beneath severe pressure and temperature in low oxygen settings.
7. Natural Gas
Natural gas meets around 22% of the country’s energy requirements and is utilized as a fuel source of heat, lighting, and power generation. It can be used to make synthetic and another company is more profitable organic molecules. This substance is a fossil fuel produced by the microbial breakdown of organic matter, typically from prehistoric aquatic creatures. There are two types of natural gas reserves. They are as follows: conventional and unconventional. Natural gas resources are typically linked with oil resources, but nontraditional reserves consist of coal bed gas, shale gas, and tight-gas sandstone.
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